Thunderbirds Heathers! AU
by MoustachingQuestions
Summary: After being made an official 'Thunderbird' by his older brothers, Gordon finds out that being popular in Ivy River High isn't as great as it appears. With Scott's 'eat or be eaten' mentality and Alan being left behind, he finds solace in Penny, the new girl. But Scott doesn't like her. And she doesn't like Scott. Welcome to the Candy Store... (Based on the musical Heather's)
1. Act 1: Scene 1

**Hey guys! I jumped onto another fandom bandwagon, hope you all don't mind! I blame one of my friends. Like I said in the summary, this story is based of Heather's the Musical. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you watch it before reading this chapter. This will contain dark themes, but I'll put warnings for all of them at the beginning of each chapter. Let me know what you think, and have a great morning/day/night!**

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Thunderbirds Are Go, nor do I own Heather's the Musical. This is purely a piece of fanfiction meant for the entertainment of others.

 **WARNING! ** This chapter contains references to eating disorders, if this makes you uncomfortable, I suggest you do NOT read on.

* * *

 **September 1st, 2052. Ivy River High School, Kansas.**

" _I still believe I'm a good person, you know? I still think that there's good in everyone. But I remember looking around on that day and thinking 'what happened?"_

Gordon picked at the tasteless slop in his lunch tray as he looked around the cafeteria. Resting his chin in his palm he watched absentmindedly as groups of students sat huddled together on benches, their murmured conversations filling the room echo with a dull drone. He watched the doors swing open as one particular student caught his attention for a few moments. One of the goth kids, clad in army boots, ripped jeans and piercings, shuffled past on her way to one of the far off benches. She seemed to grab the attention of every group she moved past. Gordon could pick up small snippets of conversations as the goth-girl ghosted past.

"What a _freak,_ " One of the nerds muttered to their friend. "Why does she dress like that?"

" _Whore_." Gordon heard another girl say. "I bet she looks like that for attention."

He sighed. Since when did everyone become so judgmental and cliquey? What happened to the days when it wasn't about how you dressed or who your friends were?

Gordon stood, picking up his barely-touched meal and headed to the trashcan. He could feel the eyes of various tables studying him, sneering at his clothes. 'The discount surfer' they'd titter behind his back, poking fun at his colourful shirts and cargo shorts.

Lost in his thoughts, Gordon didn't notice one of the girls on a passing table kick her leg out, catching his own. Gordon shouted as he fell, lunch tray skidding along the floor and scattering the mushy contents under the tables. Sitting up onto his knees, Gordon heard a laugh.

"Oops!"

Kayo Kyrano. Lean, mean, and captain of the girls hockey team. Kayo was never seen without her Letterman jacket and lackey-come-best-friend Ridley. The toughest, smartest girl on the hockey team. Kayo was the girl that yelled 'jump' and the rest of the sports teams said 'how high?'.

' _Kind of like being the tallest dwarf.'_ Gordon mused, getting back onto his feet.

"Thanks for tripping me up." He muttered, walking away. Kayo raised an eyebrow, looking over to her teammates as they cackled, egging her on. She grinned, and stood, grabbing Gordon's shoulder and forcing him to face her.

"Say that again Squidless? I didn't quite hear you."

Gordon scowled, but bit his tongue.

"Nothing." He ground out. Kayo laughed.

"'s what I thought. Dweeb." Her iron grip on his shoulder released, and Kayo shoved him away, returning to her seat victoriously. Gordon grabbed his abandoned lunch tray, setting it aside with the others to be washed.

' _I can't wait to get out of here.'_ He thought. _'Compared to this, college must be a freaking paradise.'_ Gordon glanced over to Kayo and her peers. They were busy shouting over an arm wrestling match between Kayo and one of the other girls. _'If I'm not dead by the end of this semester.'_

"Hey Gordon!"

Gordon yelped,flinching in surprise as a set of arms materialized over his shoulders in a hug. He heard laughter, and turned to see his youngest brother chuckling.

"Alan! Geez, you scared the crap outta me!" Gordon clutched one hand over his chest, laughing along with his brother.

"I couldn't help it! You looked like you totally spaced out!" Alan handed Gordon a oversized backpack decorated with various pins and patches of sea creatures. It bulged with various textbooks and comics. "You left your bag over there again. I managed to grab it before the jocks could trash it."

"Thanks bro." Gordon grinned, slinging the bag over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. "We still on for movie night? 's your turn to pick the movie."

"Hell yeah!" Alan dug around in his own backpack for a minute, similarly adorned with patches and pins of various planets and sci-fi references. He pulled out a DVD case, slightly battered from age. "I rented _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy._ "

"Again?" Gordon chuckled. "Don't you have it memorized by now?"  
"I can't help it! I'm a sucker for a good ending." Alan admitted, burying the DVD back into the depths of his backpack.

"Watch out! It's the space invader!" Ridley barged between the two of them, snatching Alan's backpack and dangling it over his head, laughing.

Ridley O'Bannon. Kayo's best friend and fellow midfielder on the hockey team. She seemed to relish in any opportunity to make someone's life hell, namely Alan's. Gordon snarled. Picking on him was one thing, but picking on Alan was a whole new ballgame.

"The hell do you think you're doing Ridley? Give Alan's bag back!"

"Oh I'm sorry!" Ridley turned to Gordon. "You talkin' to me Squidless?"

Like a shark picking up the scent of fresh blood, Kayo returned.

"Yeah, speak up Squidless! It's rude to mumble." She chuckled, slinging an arm over Ridley's shoulders..

"Oh _I'm_ rude?" He started, ripping Alan's bag from Ridley's claws.. "Talk about yourself! What gives you the right to pick on my little brother? Just because you're popular? Because you can? You're a high school has-been waiting to happen!"

There was a beat of stunned silence as Gordon recovered from his outburst. Kayo scowled, and Ridley leaned close to him, glaring. Gordon held his ground in a fleeting moment of bravery.

"You have a zit, right there." Ridley suddenly smirked, flicking Gordon right between his eyes as she and Kayo laughed and walked away. Alan took his bag back from Gordon, thanking him quietly and disappearing out of the cafeteria.

' _Why do they hate us so much? Just because we don't like the same things or we look different. Why does that make us targets?'_

A hush washed over the cafeteria as the doors swung open. The dull drone of conversations falling onto awed whispers from nerds and populars alike.

"Is it them? Ohmygosh it is, isn't it?"

"It's the Thunderbirds!"  
"Woah…"

The Thunderbirds. The three most popular, most powerful boys in all of Ivy River High. Always dressed to impress in tailored suits that seemed to echo the school's motto. 'Superbia. Integritas. Virtus. Veritas'. Pride. Integrity. Virtue. Truth. They walked with an air of perfection. Annoyingly, they also happened to be Gordon's three older brothers.

Virgil, head of the Art Honours Society, as well as the football team. Built like a brick wall, but more of a follower to his brothers plans than a leader. He almost embodied the golden-yellow essence of virtue.

John, head of the yearbook committee. He had eyes and ears everywhere. If you needed to know the dirt on someone, guaranteed John knew all about them. He was the evergreen essence of integrity.

Finally, there was Scott. The eldest of all the Tracy brothers. Always wearing the blood red of the school's pride. Head of the student council and the so-called 'Almighty'.

The only thing Gordon thought was 'almighty' about him was that he was an almighty bastard. Together, the three of them made up the Thunderbirds. The untouchables. Never bothered. Never harassed. The envy of everyone, especially Gordon. Despite him and Alan being the youngest two brothers, Scott had somehow twisted his older brothers mentalities into one of 'eat, or be eaten', and abandoned the two of them to fend off the bullies by themselves. If they were nicer, they probably would have greeted Gordon as they strode past. Only Virgil looked over and gave Gordon a small smile as they passed. Gordon sighed, turning and leaving the cafeteria, ducking into the boy's bathroom. Slowly, the whispered conversations grew into a new hum of noise until the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch break.

* * *

Gordon hid in the far stall, leaning against the door and listening to his brothers conversation. He'd been skiving off from his Home Economics class. Not because he didn't like it, but because the teacher was notorious for her… questionable recipes she made her students cook. Gordon had heard his three brothers enter and, knowing there were no teachers around to save him if his brothers decided to get rough, chose to wait out the storm.

"Come on Virg, really?" Scott huffed, staring intently into the bathroom mirror, fixing his hair. Virgil was hunched over in one of the stalls, bringing up what he ate during lunch break. "Grow up a little, geez."  
"Scott's right Virg," John added, idly scrolling through his phone. "Maybe you should go to the doctors or something."

"Yeah," Virgil groaned, resting his chin on the side of the toilet.. "I do that and I lose this six-pack I've been working on."

"You keep losing weight and Coach'll kick you off the team." Scott replied. Virgil grumbled something under his breath.

"Mister Tracy and Mister Tracy." Principal Parker announced as he entered the boy's bathroom. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Gordon held his breath. If the Principal was here, then they were all bound to leave with a detention. Part of him was satisfied that his older brothers would get in trouble, but another part of him, the side that envied their status, saw it as an opportunity. It was at that moment Virgil decided to hurl again.

"...And Mister Tracy." Parker sighed. "In case none of you boys heard the bell, you're late for class."

"Virg wasn't feeling well," Scott explained, his icy look and harsh tone making it sound like a challenge. "We're helping him."

"Not without a hall pass." The Principal answered smugly. "I suppose you'll be serving detention for whomever's class you're meant to be in."

"Actually Principal! We're-uh, all out on a hall pass." Gordon interrupted, almost falling out of the stall he was hiding in. He handed the Principal a note. Parker studied the note for a few moments. "Yearbook committee." He explained.

"I see you're all here…" Parker said suspiciously. He gave the note back to Gordon. "Get to wherever you're going boys, and make sure your brother sees the nurse."

"We will!" John replied sweetly as the Principal left. He leant on Gordon's shoulder while Scott snatched the note. Opening the note, Scott raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell me you were into forgery."

"You didn't ask."  
"Yearbook committee," John scoffed. "What do you want Gords?"

"I need a favour. Let me and Alan sit with you at lunch tomorrow. If people think you're looking out for us, they'll leave us alone. " Gordon stated. "Before you say 'no', I also forge report cards, permission slips and absence notes."

"What about prescriptions?" Virgil asked from the stall, Scott barked at him to shut up, and turned back to Gordon. Gordon could feel Scott picking him apart, judging his clothes, his hair, even his stance.

"You know," Scott started, one hand squeezing Gordon's cheeks and forcing him to look at John. "He's actually grown up to look less ugly than I thought he would."  
"Colour me impressed." John answered sarcastically, glancing up from his phone. "He needs a haircut though."

Scott hummed in agreement. With a heavy 'clunk' the stall door unlocked and Virgil stepped out. Scott forced Gordon to look at his brother, making a questioning noise. Virgil studied him curiously for a few seconds.

"Definitely needs a haircut." He agreed. "Decent looking though, symmetrical face." Virgil grabbed Gordon's shirt and raised it. "Too skinny though, needs to gain some muscle."

"You say that about everyone."

"H-Hey! Get off!" Gordon yelled, squirming in Scott's grip. Scott released him, folding his arms and giving Gordon a stern look.

"You can sit with us." Scott announced. Gordon's face lit up. "But you have to look the part. Deal?" Scott offered his hand to Gordon.  
"Deal!" Gordon answered quickly, grabbing his brother's hand and shaking in agreement. Scott grinned.

"Then let's go. I'm not gonna let you sit with us in-" He gestured to Gordon. " _That._ John, we're gonna need to look through your wardrobe." John nodded, shoving his phone in his blazer pocket. "Virg, while we do that, you can find out little brother something decent to carry his crap in. Thunderbirds are go!"

* * *

"The hell is he..?" Alan murmured, leaning against his locker as he watched the river of students flow past him. It was the end of the day, and since it was movie night, Gordon would always meet Alan at his locker. They'd both walk home together then and spend the rest of the night eating popcorn and binging old movies. But Alan hadn't seen Gordon since lunch break, when they'd both been harassed by Kayo and Ridley.

Alan sighed, slightly sliding down the locker he was leaning on. Kayo was so mean to him now, but it was just an act, right? He smiled as he reminisced, thinking back to the days when they were in kindergarten. They were as thick as thieves, and almost always played games together in the playground.

' _What happened to us?'_ He thought, bitterness tinging the pleasant memories. _'Did I do something wrong? Maybe she's just pretending so that people don't pick on her too. Maybe that's why she's always so mean to me...'_

Alan shook his head, dispelling the thoughts and snapping back to the present. Where was Gordon? Had he got detention and not told him? Alan scanned the crowd for signs of his brother. His ears pricked up as a gaggle of girls drifted past him.

"Did you see the new guy hanging out with the Thunderbirds earlier? I mean, am I the only that would?"

"Ohmygosh, _I know_! I would, holy crap yeah."

"Who is he though? I swear I've never seen him before."

"Probably a hot transfer student or something."

Alan cringed. Why were all girls so… predatory when talking about guys? And who was this guy anyway? Nobody can even get close to the Thunderbirds without someone knowing who they are, and yet this guy has somehow become one of them without anyone knowing who he is. Gordon can wait, Alan decided. He had to know more.

Joining the swathe of students, Alan headed to the parking lot. The Thunderbirds- his oldest brothers- always came to school together, in Virgil's green mustang. So if this new guy was one of them, then they'd drive him home, right? Apparently he wasn't the only one with this idea, as a number of other students had headed to catch a glimpse of this new Thunderbird. Alan saw his brothers almost as soon as he turned the corner. Red, yellow and green surrounded by the school's cheerleading team. It was the blue that caught his attention.

So the rumours were right. There was a new Thunderbird in Ivy River High. Only, it wasn't a transfer student. Alan gasped. Standing with his brothers, looking a little uncomfortable with all the attention, was Gordon.

Alan could understand why people thought it was someone new. Gordon always wore gaudy shirts with colourful landscapes or patterns, to see him without them was… weird. Gordon was wearing a royal blue blazer and a white shirt, edged on the collar with black. He was wearing grey slacks, with the bottoms turned up, revealing a lighter blue turnover and dress shoes. Even his blazer had the initials 'I.R' embroidered under the yellow pocket square for the school's name. He looked like someone else. He didn't look like Gordon anymore.

Gordon looked away from the group of cheerleaders vying for his attention, feeling someone else watching him. He locked eyes with Alan, and moved to walk over to him. Scott grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from leaving. Scott leaned over, murmuring something in his ear.

"Eat or be eaten, little brother." He reminded him. "We said _you_ can sit with us. That was the deal." Gordon glanced back over to Alan, giving him a crestfallen look, before returning his attention to the crowd around him.

Alan watched them for a little longer, mouth open in shock. _'Why?'_ He thought. _'Why would he do this? Wasn't taking Virg away enough?'_ Alan glared at his brothers, betrayal and anger burning hot in his gut as he stormed off.

 _'Guess I'll be binging movies on my own tonight.'_


	2. Act 1: Scene 2

**Hey everyone! Here's the second chapter of the Heather's!AU! I hope you all enjoyed chapter one. Apologies for not mentioning before, but my good friend auraflare has made some _amazing_ drawings to go along with this story, I recommend you check them out! The link is**

 **tagged/TAGHeathers!AU**

 **I don't own Heather's or Thunderbirds Are Go!**

 **I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful morning/day/evening/night!**

 _ **WARNING: This chapter contains a lot of bullying and mild homophobia. If these make you uncomfortable, I recommend you do NOT go any further.**_

* * *

 **September 22nd, 2052. Ivy River High School, Kansas.**

 _'Three weeks later I was hanging out with my brothers 24/7. Being a Thunderbird felt more like a job, where the requirements were being popular and shit.'_

"Hey Gordo!" Alan greeted his brother while they waited in the lunch line. He seemed to still be on good terms with Gordon, the latter having not completely dropped him since his shot to fame as the latest Thunderbird.

"Hey!" Gordon grinned, turning into a grimace as he scratched the back of his head and sucked in a breath. "Sorry for ditching movie night last week. Just been real busy lately, y'know?"

"It's fine,." Alan shrugged. "You're a Thunderbird now, I get it." He glanced over to where Scott and John were sitting. When he was sure they weren't watching, he dropped his voice to a whisper.

"How you holding up?"

Gordon chuckled, whispering back.

"I'm surviving. Listen, this weekend, I promise we'll head down to the arcades. You and me."

"Really?" Alan squeaked excitedly. Gordon nodded.

"Gordon!" Virgil nudged his younger brother in his side. "Move your ass, Scott wants you at the table asap."

"Right. Catch you later bro." Gordon smiled at Alan and then headed over to the others. Virgil stayed a few seconds longer, and while his back was turned away from Scott and John, muttered an almost silent 'hey Alan' before following Gordon.

"Gordon! The hell have you been?" Scott barked. "Kayo's handwriting. I need a forged note. You'll need paper, and a pen. John! Gimmie your notebook."

John huffed, but said nothing as he handed Gordon his notebook, digging a pen out of his satchel. Scott grinned wickedly.

"Good. Now write this:

'Hey handsome,

I've been checking you out and remembering the old days.'"

John and Virgil snickered, but quickly stopped when Scott glared at them. He continued.

"'Hope you can make it to my house party this weekend. Would love to see you there. Miss you. Kayo.'"

"Who's this supposed to be for anyways?" Gordon asked curiously as he scribbled Scott's words down in Kayo's hand.

"Remember how Kayo used to hang out with our baby brother?" John explained, snatching his notebook back from Gordon once the note was finished, tearing out and folding the letter, shoving the book in his bag.

"Yeah," Gordon shrugged. "We all used to hang out together, what's the big deal?"

"You ever know that Alan kissed Kayo on the soccer field?" Virgil chuckled.

Gordon opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as he heard a familiar giggle from another table. Their conversation stopped as the Thunderbirds tuned into Kayo and Ridley's gossip on the next table with a few other jocks and cheerleaders. They were talking probably louder than they should have been, and half of the Thunderbirds cringed at their comments.

"Wouldn't it be hot to be in the middle of a Thunderbird sandwich?" One of the cheerleaders giggled.

"Oh definitely." Kayo purred, eyeing the two eldest brothers hungrily. She raised her fist to Ridley, who cackled and knocked her own fist against her companions. "Knock 'em dead."

Scott grinned wickedly, eyeing the two in a similar way to a cat eyeing a bird's nest before climbing the tree. He stood and wandered over to their table.

"And so it begins." John murmured, a glint of amusement in his eyes. Gordon's brow furrowed. His eyes widened as the pieces fitted together.

"Kayo! Just the girl I was looking for." Scott purred, slipping into the seat beside Kayo. She rested her chin on her hand, replying just as sweetly.

"The fuck you want Thunderbird?"

"Be a babe and this note to my baby brother will you?" Scott tucked the note into the gap between Kayo's fingers under her chin as he spoke. Kayo's lips curved up into a sneer, looking over the hastily folded note in her hands. Gordon stumbled over, knocking into Scott's side as he crashed down into the seat beside him. Scott glared at Gordon.

"Scott, what are you doing?" Gordon hissed. Scott said nothing, but grinned.

"Since when'd you talk to your loser brother? I thought you wanted him to grow a pair?" Ridley asked, leaning over to look at the two boys.

"Still do." Scott replied smoothly. He snarled as his hands clamped down over hers as she moved to open the paper.. " _Don't!_ " He stopped, clearing his throat and speaking gentler. "Don't. Read it. Alan's been uh-" Scott hesitated, thinking on his feet. "Having some trouble with target practice. Wanted me to give him some pointers."

John cackled, having wandered over to witness the exchange. Ridley made gagging noises as Kayo almost threw the note back at the Thunderbirds, Gordon was the first to grab it, scarpering back to Virgil and their table. Virgil heard Gordon coming, slamming a small black book closed and burying it in his bag quickly. He looked up at Gordon, his eyes pleading with him to keep it a secret. While John and Scott's backs were turned, he nodded.

"That's disgusting! Forget it Tracy!" Kayo snapped, turning away from Scott and John. Scott shrugged, bidding the jock's table goodbye before returning to his own. John huffed indignantly and followed. When he reached the table, Scott was already challenging Gordon for the note.

"Please don't do this Scott." He pleaded. "Not to Alan."

Scott moved to reply, but John beat him to it.

"Why not? It'll keep his left hand busy for weeks!"

Scott turned on a dime, his frustration aimed directly at his next youngest brother.

"Shut. Your. Mouth." He spat. John knew when to pick his fights, this wasn't one of them. He glared at his older brother but remained silent, deciding to sit beside Virgil. Gordon continued, invoking more and more of Scott's wrath.  
"Alan's my little brother. Our little brother. We all know he's had a thing for Kayo forever! This'll kill him!"  
"Alan's always been Dad's favourite," Scott snarled. "He's had everything handed to him on a silver fucking platter. This'll be good for him, you'll see." He growled. "Now give me the note Gordon."

Gordon was shaking. Though the cafeteria bustled with noise, it felt like all eyes were on him. He glanced over to his other brothers. Virgil looked torn between getting up to defend him and cowering beside John, avoiding his oldest brother's fury. John had his nose buried in a book, the dust cover reading something about astronomy. Gordon was on his own. He looked back to Scott, his hand held out expectantly.

"No." Gordon told him firmly. Something snapped in Scott. He slammed his fist down on the table, grabbing a fistful of Gordon's blue blazer and yanked him forward, hissing in his ear.

"Eat or be eaten little brother. I practically raised you since Dad's fucked off into work and Mom's dead." Scott plucked the note out of Gordon's shaking fists.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about mom like that." Virgil snapped, glaring at Scott.

"Shut up Virgil." Scott snarled, whipping around to face him and dropping Gordon back into his seat.. " _You owe me._ Both of you do."

Scott smacked his palm with the note down onto the pages of John's book, knocking Virgil on the head as he did so. Both brothers stared the other down for a long moment. Virgil looked away.

John stood, dusting himself off and disappeared into the crowd of students. Gordon felt the bitter taste of guilt rise up in his throat, threatening to make him throw up. Around ten minutes later John returned with a twisted grin on his face, settling back down into his seat and nodding at Scott. Scott smirked.

The Thunderbirds sat in silence, each absorbed in their own activities. John was reading, Virgil was on his phone, Gordon was still getting over what just happened and Scott was watching both his brothers and the room. Gordon heard Scott scoff as a nervous pair of worn trainers stopped in front of him. They cleared their throat. Gordon looked up.

"Uh- Can I talk to you for a minute?" Alan asked meekly, glancing over to Scott, who was ignoring them for the moment. He gulped. "It's important." He added. Gordon nodded, following Alan to the far side of the cafeteria.

Once they were safely away from the other Thunderbirds, the two youngest relaxed, sighing..

"What's wrong?" Gordon asked, more for politeness than genuine curiosity. He had a feeling he knew what Alan was going to say. Alan giggled excitedly and stuffed a crumpled note into Gordon's hands. Gordon could almost see constellations in his brother's starry-eyed expression as he bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet.

"Read-it-read-it-read-it!" He blabbered. "John just gave it to me, he said Kayo told him to give it to me! Can you believe it?"

"Really?" Gordon plastered a grin on his face as he glanced down at the paper. He looked up at Alan. He looked so happy, so innocent.. Alan's expression started to fall as Gordon realized he'd never given his younger brother an answer.

"...Y-You don't like it?" Alan asked quietly, the stars falling. Gordon shook his head.

"No! No! This is-"

 _'A joke. A cruel, manipulative, evil joke from your oldest brother.'_ Gordon wanted to tell him.

"Great!" Gordon yelped. "So great!"

"I know right!" Alan beamed, cramming the note back into his bag. "She invited me to her homecoming party this weekend! -I mean, the note already says that- But wow!" Alan sighed, a faint tinge of pink in his cheeks as he spoke. "She said I was handsome."

Gordon couldn't help but chuckle. Alan suddenly had a look of fear. He snapped his eyes up to Gordon.

"Don't tell Scott! Please?" Alan paused. "You know what he's like."

"I know." Gordon said. "I won't tell."

 _'Because he already knows.'_ He thought somberly, the ache in his chest from lying becoming more apparent.

"Thank you!" Alan sighed with relief. His eyes skipped behind Gordon for a moment. "Uh- Virg's coming to get you. I guess that means you have to go back now."

"Lucky me." Gordon murmured. "See you at home?"

Alan nodded, scampering away. Gordon wished that the ground under his feet would open up and swallow him, leaving him to drown in his guilt. Unfortunately, it didn't.. He flinched as a female voice spoke behind him.

"You shouldn't let the assholes and muscleheads bully into becoming one of them." She said idly, her British accent making her stand out from the usual conversations of the cafeteria. "They're going to break that kid."

"They're my brothers." Gordon growled defensively.

"And that makes it any better?" She scoffed. "Clearly out of the four of them, you've got a soul. Don't give the red one the satisfaction of draining it from you."

Gordon turned. She wasn't what he was expecting. Only an inch or so shorter than him in her navy heels, this stranger was well dressed in dark blue jeans and a black blouse. A number of silver necklaces of varying length adorned her neck, matching the bracelets on her wrists, half covered by the leather sleeves of a blue-black trench coat. Her hair was half pinned back in a messy bun. His brow furrowed her name eluding him. Her steely blue eyes watched him curiously.

" _'Hell is empty and all the devils are here.'_ " She sighed, turning on her heel and walking away. Gordon perked up, he knew that quote.

"Was that Shakespeare?" He asked. "Hey- Wait! I didn't catch your name!"

"I never threw it." The girl replied, looking over her shoulder and never stopping her stride. She perched herself at the edge of one of the tables, pulling out a well-thumbed copy of Macbeth and starting to read. Gordon's cheeks felt like they were on fire as he watched her walk away. A hand grasping his shoulder stopped him from following her. He looked beside him and Virgil shook his head, guiding Gordon back to his brothers. From the jocks table, Kayo and Ridley watched the scene unfold.

"Who's the bitch in the hoodie think she is anyway? Gal Gadot?" Ridley huffed. Kayo snickered, gesturing to Gordon being shepherded by his brother.

"Squidless is into it no doubt." Kayo grinned, looking over to the mysterious girl, head still buried in her book. "Let's mess her up a little. Teach the exchange girl her place."

"Kay, we can't do that. We're seniors." Ridley argued. "We're too old for- Hey!"

Kayo had chosen to ignore her friend, standing and striding over, sitting on the table beside the girl, grinning predatory. Ridley got up and hurried after her.

"Hey posh bitch! What'd your daddy say when you told him you were moving to Kansas City?"

The girl made no move to retort, sighing and turning the page.

"Or did you not tell him you fucked off?" Ridley teased, sitting on the other side of the girl. Ridley kicked the girl's shoulder with her trainer. "Hey Kayo, doesn't the cafeteria have a _No Fags Allowed_ rule?"

This got them a reaction. She snapped her book shut, glaring up at Ridley.

"However, they appear to keep an open door policy on arseholes."

Kayo and Ridley's mouths dropped open in a surprised 'o'. There was silence for a few moments.

"Grab her hair." Ridley snarled. The two launched themselves at her. A crowd quickly gathered around the brawl. Gordon, having heard Ridley snarl, had turned to see her lunge for the mysterious girl. He released himself from Virgil's grip and sprinted over to the fight, shoving his way to the front of the circle. He'd only just met this stranger, but something in his gut burned as the two jocks attacked her. He shifted, getting ready to join the fray himself, when Virgil's arms locked around his shoulders and hauled him back, forcing him to observe. His brother muttered something about their reputation, keeping his grip tight. Gordon's eyes narrowed as he watched.

The girl ducked Ridley's first punch, bringing her elbow sharply into the other's gut. Ridley wheezed and stumbled backwards, resting on her knees as she recovered. Kayo moved forward, swinging directly for the girl's cheek. For Gordon, seemed to slow down then.

The girl grinned, dropping down and avoiding the attack. He could hear her chuckle as she kicked her leg out, taking Kayo's feet from under her. Gordon felt that unfamiliar burn intensify as she grinned, almost excited. Something inside of him wanted her to smile like that at him. He gasped, he'd never seen anyone take down Kayo. At least, in the fights of hers he stayed to watch. Kayo fell hard onto her side. The girl kicked her in her exposed side as she stood to face Ridley, who had staggered to her feet and was attempting a second punch.

Gordon wanted to look away as the mystery girl blocked Ridley's attack. Something envied Ridley when the girl cupped Ridley's cheeks in an almost loving way, her hair flowing behind her like threads of gold. He wanted to be that close to her when the one girl's forehead collided with the other once, twice, three times, until Ridley went down like a sack of potatoes. Kayo hesitated, eventually backing down. She helped Ridley to stand and the two hobbled away just as the teachers showed up to intervene.

For the first time, Gordon understood the thrill of watching a fight. It was like a dance, the way the three twisted and moved around one-another. His mind started to wander as the crowd both cheered and booed. What would it be like if she decided to 'dance' with him? She'd win easily, of course, but a part of him wanted it. Wanted her attention. Wanted her.

Virgil's iron grip on his shoulders released, and Gordon did the same to the breath he didn't realize he was holding. An ache shocked through his chest when a teacher hauled the girl out of the cafeteria.

Before she left, the looked back. Her eyes locked with his. Hazel brown met ocean blue. She smiled, and was then led out of the room. Gordon was sure that he was redder than Scott's blazer as he grinned.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kayo and Ridley were nursing their wounds. Kayo growled as she dabbed the blood oozing from Ridley's head..

"Where the hell did she learn to fight like that?"

"Bitch fights better than the actual Gal Gadot!" Ridley whimpered. Kayo scoffed.

"What?" Ridley defended. "Haven't you ever seen Wonder Woman? Gal Gadot fights in like a corset and skirt and is pretty muscular for a girl."

"Dyke." Kayo teased, making a 'v' shape with her fingers and sticking her tongue through the middle. Ridley shoved her.

"Shut up!"

"Ridley's eating carpet tonight!" Kayo hollered, earning herself a harsh punch in the shoulder from her friend as she sprinted off, Ridley hot on her tail.


End file.
